Scorpion...

mrkawasaki

Retrobike Rider
by Paul Donohue or Kevin Winter, circa 19xx....??

Very recently purchased frame, although not arrived at Kawasaki Towers, as I head off piste with a fledgling obscure northern builders of yore collection. Hoping it is uncracked etc. and loving the seat clamp and integrated brake booster!

Let me know what you think or know - fact or fiction - as there is minimal information on tinterweb. I'm going for Italian tubing...

Here's an earlier thread about a titanium version (same decals): viewtopic.php?f=1&t=163435

Depending on year of build, I'm thinking RC30/35 front end.
 

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Re:

That looks rather nice! some neat touches, and I'm liking the colour (although I'm a little biased to wards that kind of orange/white fade :) ).

Sorry I can't tell you anything about it though.
 
looks cool, never heard of them though to be honest so looking forward to seeing this one develop!
 
Some wonderful details on this frame - brass headbadge; semi-integrated carbon brake booster; selective fillet brazing around the unusual seat clamp; bridgeless chainstays and heavily worked tubing.

Anyone care to guess what the tubing might be? Will weigh it later.
 

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Looks like You're closer to MTB again Neil :)
About frame I can't tell anything (except in 1st view I was thinking that's Clockwork, cause painting sheme is very similar), but details are nice!
Rear booster in place of standard tube, and seatpost close... is it working same as in Cattlehead stems?
 
sinnerman":3v11gjb8 said:
I think early 90s, based on the rear seatstay and the original fit carbon brace, (a really nice touch by the way), Scorpion from memory was the brainchild of PD, I guess also built by him or by KW, but I am sure there was another torchman working alongside under the same banner to increase production. A very short lived exercise I understand,(quite a rare beast especially with the seatclamp/brace and snakestays) (and this is all a long distant memory so I could be miles off of course), and whilst I wouldn't pigeon hole it as a generic shop brand by any means, the funding for the project might have gone hand in hand.

I almost wanna say the rear end isnt Genius tubing for sure, based on the S bend seat stays, im no frame builder mind. You will know if the main triangle is Genius though from running your hand along it, but im sorry I cant make it out from the pictures.

I would interested in the seattube and top tube lengths with the actual real world weight too...? Im guessing 3 to 3.5lbs.. Certainly the precursor to the foray into the new world of Titanium Fabrication of the time.

Carl - weight is a smidge under 5lbs (not so light), top tube is 570mm and the headtube is 130mm. The s-bend stays are compressed/flattened in the mid-section (still oval top and bottom) when you look side on, to facilitate the fit/effectiveness of the brake stay presumably. I wonder how and where they would have sourced the carbon - it's a good 5mm thick. Serial number under BB is 4288896 (1996??) with T115 being stamped in both drop outs.
 
T115 being stamped in both drop outs
That'll be TI 15. Technociclo Italia + model number.

They're good quality cold forged dropouts. Here's their stamping on a different model:

All the best,
 

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Nice one ctk, the blue Donahue above also shares the lack of chain stay bridge.

Does not appear to have canti bridge? Later nineties?
 
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